England one-day side finally looks the part
England’s third one-day series victory of the year was their most impressive.
When they won in Australia in February they were not quite sure how they managed it, and it was followed by a wretched showing in the World Cup. Victory against India was a positive step, but it was achieved in familiar conditions.
To triumph in Sri Lanka, albeit against a team without Muttiah Muralitharan, hints at a promising future for this emerging, inexperienced team.
After years of underachievement, England appear to be developing a one-day team that is capable of executing pre-game plans on a more consistent basis. Accurate, testing bowling and aggressive fielding set up their most comfortable victory of the series.
England were ahead of the game throughout and they never looked like conceding control, even during the century partnership for the fourth wicket between Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva. So much damage had been done in the opening overs that the Sri Lanka pair were limited to re-building. They were not in a position to change the tempo of the match.
England could have cursed their luck after losing the toss again on a roasting hot afternoon. Instead, their new ball attack had Sri Lanka fretting. Ryan Sidebottom further enhanced his reputation with a superb spell while James Anderson produced his most purposeful bowling of the series.
Sri Lanka’s total looked thin at the halfway stage. Without being a ‘belter’, it was a reasonable pitch and England eased to their victory.
Alastair Cook’s place has been under threat after a series of unconvincing displays. He has responded by working harder at his game - he knew he was struggling. He still does not look like an opener for all conditions, but his innings will do a lot for his confidence. Towards the end, he was knocking the ball around for singles like an old hand.
It helped that Kevin Pietersen was in tow. Freed from the shackles of the sluggish Dambulla pitch and the injured Farveez Maharoof, Pietersen was much like his usual self.
There was no let up from Sri Lanka in England last year. It will be interesting to see if England follow suit.
Not many survive from the England team to carry the memory of the merciless thumping they suffered at Headingley in the final game of the five match series – only Cook and Ian Bell.
Saturday’s final match will reveal if England are developing a ruthless streak to go alongside their renewed enthusiasm for the one-day game.
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Very cheering: I agree that the foundations for the future are being laid.
Cook is the future and with Yardy and other similar players not even featuring the future has the potentila to be good ... very good.
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well done to england
bu just becuase they beat sri lanka, doesnt make them a fantastic team like evry1 makes them out to be
where do england end up in the world cup
nowhere, when its big games england bottle them
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It has been a good all-round performance by England. At times, I have switched off radio and web coverage assuming the worst only to be pleasantly surprised by some impressive victories.
Most of the team have been contributing at some point.
Our regular failings in the past - inconsistency and poor performances when under pressure - have been addressed on this tour.
The bowling has capitalised after good opening spells, and the lower-middle order has picked up the pieces when the top order has failed.
Lets hope the successes of this year herald some sort of renaissance in England's one-day form, it's about time!
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Sidebottom and Anderson fabulous. Bowled through the pain barrier in what looked like scorching heat. Not sure we quite have the right team - Shah and Mustard probably good enough but the 2020 World Cup debacle memory recedes. Would like to see Bopara bat higher up the order.
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It has been a good all-round performance by England. At times, I have switched off radio and web coverage assuming the worst only to be pleasantly surprised by some impressive victories.
Most of the team have been contributing at some point.
Our regular failings in the past - inconsistency and poor performances when under pressure - have been addressed on this tour.
The bowling has capitalised after good opening spells, and the lower-middle order has picked up the pieces when the top order has failed.
Lets hope the successes of this year herald some sort of renaissance in England's one-day form, it's about time!
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I must admit surprise that England triumphed in this series, and offer a warm congratulations to the team (I had thought this result an impossibility). The team's bowling and fielding displays in particular have been superb, though I think the batting lineup can use some bolstering.
I am slightly surprised by Sri Lanka's performance in this series, as they usually perform better than this. But regardless of the outcome, good cricket is good cricket, and that is enough to be thankful of.
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Greetings from Australia....Well,Well.Looks like the major Ashes enquiry is reaping some benefit after all.
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Sorry but I don't agree with hassan. Sri Lanka are a fantastic ODI side, who were deservedly in the final of World Cup. Not to mention touring in the sub-continent being considerably harder than most other countries.
England performed well and in the most crucial game didn't choke or throw it away. A minor stutter loosing a few wickets at the end, but other than that it was a fantastic performance. I admit there is still a long way to go, but this is promising.
My worry now is how we will fair in the test matches. I was extremely disappointed when we lost to India, something I felt really should have been a formality, even with the dodgy weather.
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I think it was just good solid cricket that triumphed here - it wasn't exactly exciting stuff but I'm sure the England camp are very happy with how things have worked out.
On a slightly miserable note - it feels a bit hollow beating Sri Lanka without Murali - but then again we were missing Freddie so it kind off evens the ledger a bit.
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At last a balanced side with players good enough to get into an international side for either their or their bowling or both.
Previous teams contained too many "bits n bobs" players who had good looking all round credentials but utimately failed to deliver international standard displays in either discipline.
Nick
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Well Done England...!
Such a wonderful team spirit.you guys bowled really well. you controlled sri lankan batsmen surprisingly. they never thought that you guys are so potential to do that. however, you guys did it. though ,I am sri lankan fan, I really really appreciate the very good job you've done. Keep it up.Go England Go..........I really like the way Sidebottom & Broad bowled.
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I'm Sri Lankan, but I have no hesitation in saying "Bravo for England." This series has shown us a couple of things: England has more than a "promising" team, it has a team that's delivering;Sri Lanka has to get away from their dependence on Murali, they cannot be considered ligitimate heavies until they start winning matches without him, especially on home turf. England looks to me, now, more like the Sri Lanka of 1996 - indomitable mavericks. They're gelling into a strong all round team. That's the best type of team, I think.
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Well done England, especially Sidebottom, Broad and Anderson - they bowled very well exploiting the tracks which offered bounce on occasion. In fact most of the tracks on offer this time around was prettly foreign to Sri Lanka.
But what a field day Messrs. Knight and Lloyd had in the commentary box yesterday. Nick Knight even went onto chide poor Russel Arnold for "only" talking of Sri Lankan failures and not talking of the England bowling. Arnold of course had to oblige - after all if he didn't do so his hopes of a career in international commentating may have come to a premature halt. Such are the ways and mannerisms of the English/Aussie media. Globalization, I think not??
Throughout their jubilant banter of England's ascendancy the England commentators did their very best to avoid mentioning the one name that was lurking in the minds of everyone - a name that was missing on the field. Oh they did mention the missing Flintoff repeatedly but "the" name was only mentioned at the end, the very end by David Lloyd.
Lloyd went on and on repeatedly telling surely gullible English viewers especially, and of course the rest, how 'difficult' it was to win in "these" conditions - meaning sub-continent conditions. The heat and humidity were his main target. Of course no mention was made what-so-ever yesterday nor when Sri Lanka toured England in 2005 when the climate was so bitingly cold for the Sri Lankans that most of them had double 'covering' on their bodies with their chilled hands in their pockets. They still drew the test series and thumped England 5 - 0 in the ODIs. Any 'neutral' or right-minded person will tell you that it is far more difficult to play cricket in chilly conditions than it is in 35 degree temperatures (no it was not Sahara-like heat in Sri Lanka). But trust an Englishman to admit to that. By the way in England ( of temperate climes) there is a summer and winter - so they get exposed to both of them. Well here in Sri Lanka you get a hot weather during most of the year and a not-so-hot climate around December-January - this is the case at all venues where first class cricket is played in Sri Lanka. In other words English cricketer get are used to playing in the hot sun (since their is a hot summer there) but Sri Lankan cricketers do not have the luxury of getting used to playing cricket in the cold. By the way this assertion will never be put out by any English writer or commentator.
Coming on to the ODI series, if ever a side had record to be put straight against Sri Lanka they could not have found a better time do so. The Sri Lankan cricket board is in a mess with political wrangling going on internally, the sports minister interfering whenever he wants to and the chairman of selectors carrying on as if he owns the cricket team. Then there is also the fact that the marvellous tenure of Tom Moody ended only a few months ago and new man Trevor Bayliss is only a month into his job. So Sri Lankan cricket is in transition - to put it mildly.
But now to the 'missing' factor that was strategically, shrewdly and slyly held back by Knight and Lloyd. It is true what Lloyd said ie. it has been difficult to beat Sri Lanka at home in home conditions. But what he so craftily omitted from mentioning was that the "home" advantage has only been truly well capitalised on only in the past 10 -12 years - with the rise of the missing "M" factor. Yes Muttiah Muralitharan has struck fear and trepidation in all touring teams and batsmen, other than Brian Lara, for the past decade and he was missing throughout this series. For Sri Lanka are a good side even without him but they come to achieve great things only when he is there. Now is that a oddity? After all Argentina in the 1986 FIFA world cup were still a good team without their "M" factor but they only achieved great things when Maradona was there.
Mr. David Lloyd did try to neutralise the missing factor by incredulously suggesting that England were missing Andrew Flintoff just as much as Sri Lanka were missing Murali. UNBELIEVABLE - the comparison that is.
In the encounter history between the two sides taking into consideration the effect via bowling, batting, fielding and the overall psychological effect, Andrew Flintoff has not had even 1/5 th the impact and effectiveness of that of Murali. In the world stage, at the world cup Flintoff cut a very sorry figure - and this was only six months ago. And he hasn't exactly set the world on fire afterwards. So he would not have made much difference. But of course the English media would not say so.
So England should be proud that they finally set an old ghost to rest i.e. not winning any series in Sri Lanka. But it must be remembered that they achieved this in the background of internal problems within the Sri Lankan camp. Sri Lanka will be back if and when they sideline (not totally) the political influences and get to play the brand of cricket they played only six months ago at the world cup.
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Great to see the combination of a genuine batsman such as Cook together with 'Spice Man', who is a kind of 'Botham' at the top of the limited-overs batting order, someone willing to hit over the top à la arrogant Hayden or thrilly-thrilly Gilly-Gilly. Numbers 2,4 and 6 ('Spice Man', 'Zulu' and the Shah are all unusual, eccentric batsmen - a fine line-up! The fielding has improved and the bowling is excellent. There is an obvious Collingwood mentality in the approach to the playing of the game, too. Things are looking promising.
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HIGHLIGHTS AND FEATURES ON THE BIG STORIES regarding "Jayawardene laments poor batting" AND "Collingwood enjoys 'unbelievable' win" never Worked. I was not able to play any of the Audio stuff right from the beging of the series. Can you please tell ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ regarding this BIG PROBLEM. I'm e-mailing from Fremont, California, USA.
Thank you,
Indike.
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Congratulations ARE due to England for its victory but I would like to see more sustained good performances before I wax too enthusiastic. Simon does point out the absence of Muralitharan and it might well have been crucial for he is as good a one day bowler as any team has - a match winner, especially in his home conditions. Nevertheless, England has been impressive. With the return, eventually, of Flintoff and the option of Monty Panesar the auguries are favourable. However, the true test for England is Australia, currently annihilating the Indian team in India. True, England somehow managed to win over here last summer but would you bet on them beating the Australian team NOW, anywhere? Once they give Australia a hard time every match you can say that the promise of this team is being fulfilled. The inclusion of talents like Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah was long overdue and will now bear fruit. Also there are signs that the likes of Anderson and Broad are getting more canny as each match goes by to say nothing of the superb work of Ryan Sidebottom. Where was he all those years England was being humiliated? So ... a big tick to England but ... more work to do.
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Roshan Fernando? Possibly THE longest excuse I've ever heard!
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Well done, England! Finally, my Sky Sports subscription is worth keeping. England are not world-class yet but they are way more competitive and they have gone a very long way since the day Michael Vaughan resigned as one-day captain. It's delightful to know that England can now actually give sides a hard time and give paying spectators something exciting to watch. Remember folks, don't slack for the final game. That will really ruin it.
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To rip through the incumbent World Cup runners-up like a hot knife through butter, albeit a Sri Lanka without Murali, is a stunning turnaround from the England of old.
Like I told a coworker tonight as we watched India choke horribly against Australia, when there are none who are willing to take them on, I think the new England is prepping themselves to be that challenge.
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Roshan Fernando,
possibly the longest excuse ever, but by and large not that far wrong.
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Good result. But.....
We are a bowler short and we already know that our batsmen can score at 4 an over. We have been let down in the past by our inability to chase bigger totals, or indeed to post them. We clearly miss a Trescothick type figure (I know he is a once in a generation player), unless Mustard can reign himself in and bat with his brain engaged. At the moment he reminds me of the young Flintoff - it's ok to give a guy licence but you have to learn to play in the context of the game.
On the plus side Sidebottom and Anderson continue to deliver and Broad at the very least looks a viable prospect if he can keep injury free.
It is a good result though. To contain some of the best batsmen in the world (and with special regard to Swann, some of the best players of spin bowling we will ever see) is impressive.
There are certainly signs that some of our seeds are growing nicely (especially the ones who have been able to hone their skills in the county game).
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Roshan
I thought I ought to remind you that the weather in English summers is not always "bitingly cold".
June 2005 - when Sri Lanka won 5-0 in England - featured some of the hottest weather ever in western Europe. Temperatures were frequently touching 30 degrees plus for that very series. So in fact Sri Lanka would have felt right at home.
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I think this is a great result for a team that has struggle for shape, style and some leadership over the last few years.
Without stressing all the points already listed here, i think the questions to consider are about the test team - the bowling unit, particularily Anderson, Sidebottom and Broad have made an excellent case to stick together - any room for 'Test Specialist' Harmison, Hoggard et al? On the sub-continent pitches, 2 spinners are ideal, so Panesar and Swann combined looks effective, with Bopara at number 6/7 - let him bowl Collingwood!
I think it is a great problem for the management, but lets not revert to an old guard (especially Harmison) that has let us down too many times recently. Stick with the current bowlers at least and give them the opportunity they have deserved.
Well Done England, lets build from here.
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I would contest Roshan Fernando's assertion that England were fully acclimatised for the heat in Sri lanka following the miserable summer we have 'enjoyed' this year. That said, although England played well, especially the bowlers, they still have to prove that they are capable of beating a test side that are on form and firing on all cylinders. Sri Lanka were not that side.
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A great win for England and at long last the 1 day team seems to be taking shape. Moores is absolutley refreshing and a big improvement on the dour Fletcher.
Obviously 2 key players would come back if they were available in Flintoff and Trescothick probably at the expense of Cook and Bopara but the team is shaping up well with the front bowling trio of Anderson, Broad and Sidebottom a revelation.
I would definately persevere with Mustard who i rate highly cos Prior isn`t good enough with the Gloves to warrant a place.
Anyway well done England. Bring on the Aussies in 09!
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What is heartening is that the achievements look to be controlled, planned and well executed. Yesterday's reading of the game was superb and I am greatly impressed. If we can finally forget the Aussie jibes about County Cricket and adopt this sort of approach in other areas of our game, who knows what is possible? Well done the lads!
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england are crap, they win one series in a million, they have to win at least one time, they would never ever win the world cup
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Great victory for England. They played very well and showed strength and character previously unseen in our national team.
I have to say though that England still have a long way to go in ODIs. We really only won these games because the wickets were so slow that the games began to resemble Test cricket at which we are traditionally much better.
I'd like to see us consistently win games where over 300 is scored.
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We're building a great ODI team, and the added bonus is that a majority of the players are still young.
It is a very exciting time to be an England supporter, I can forsee big things happening for us, and by the time the next World Cup comes around we along side the whining Aussies will be firm favourites.
Come on England!!
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Can I just praise the attitude of the Sri Lankan fans who have posted on this blog . It's refreshing to read comments from genuine sports fans that are congratulatory and that don't contain the usual vitriolic excuses and rants. Rugby bloggers please note.
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Roshan
Whilst you may well be right in many of the views expressed you aren't correct when you dismiss Flintoff's contribution so lightly. His batting is obviously floundering but his bowling has been superb. He bowls extremely economically & takes wickets on a consistent basis. Which, I believe, is what Murali does.
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Hassan - post 27 - did you not notice the fact we've won our last 2 one day series? Or did that fact excape your mind. At least get your facts right.
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With the success of both James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom this summer what will be the attack for the forthcoming Sri Lanka test matches will hopefully back fit Hoggard and Harrmison feature! and what about Broad who could bat 8i Will Swann and Monty be the spin duo and will Mustard be the hot tip for behind the timbers.
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We must remember that Murli in tests and Murli in ODI's are different players. On a turning pitch in Columbo, coming into the last day of a test he will bowl unchanged for 30-40 overs. In an ODI he is restricted to 10. He is without doubt a very very good bowler - and a key part of Sri Lanka's attack - but let us not overplay his hand in this form of the game. Bar his big wicket hauls against the lesser nations I imagine his and Flintoffs contributions, on average, are relatively similar - say 2/35 from 10.
Well done England, Sri Lanka at home are a formidable team.
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I agree that this is a welcome development, particularly the strong performances of the bowlers in inclement weather. However, there are a few things we need to keep in mind:
1). Farveez Maharoof was injured, as was Murali. Whilst the other Sri Lankan bowlers are by no means declaration quality, Mahroof provided the most incisive and deadly bowling of the series for them (compare and contrast with Malinga's often wayward and sluggish efforts). Murali may be mercurial, but he is a match-winner, i.e. during the World Cup encounter six months ago. England should therefore be careful not to over-state the significance of the win.
2). We are still not using players correctly. Shah ought to play with Cook up front, as he is a more composed batsman than Mustard. Mustard is trying hard and is acquitting himself well, but I'd send him in at number 7 personally, in order to do some big-hitting further along in the innings.
3). Could people please stop bashing Cook? He's doing well, all this 'slow-scoring' nonsense is meaningless. Would critics rather that we hit 30 runs, but lost 2 wickets at the same time, during the first 5 overs?
4). Allow Bopara to bowl more, along with Mascarenhas and (possibly on a slower, turning track) Shah. Reserve the strike bowlers for the beginning and end of the innings (first 20 and last 10 overs). Bopara did well in this match, bowling wise, he deserves more time on the square.
5). Swann is impressive, but I do wish that England would consider a two-spinner partnership rather than just the token one. It's a very uninspired approach.
I still tip Sri Lanka to win the Test Series, but it should be a close and enjoyable contest.
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Sri Lanka missed Murali! It could have been a different outcomes if he had played. England struggle against spinners. Sri Lanka didnt have a big spin threat.
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I agree that England are making many positive steps in the one day format of the game. I believe this stems from both Peter Moores and Paul Collingwood. Both have a fighting quality which will stand them in good stead in the future. You have to remember that the England side has had a lot of stability issues since their Ashes successes, Vaughan, Flintoff, Harmison, and Simon Jones all being injured, change of coach, disciplinary problems (which will unsettle the team) and another issue which I believe will affect the balance of the team is the Wicketkeeper/batsman role, the selectors have not been able to agree the best option or natural candidate.
In response to Hassan's comment, we might not have performed well at the World Cup but a lot has changed since then and we have actually won 3 of our last 4 ODI series (Australia, India and Sri Lanka) of which two of them were away for England in very difficult place to taste success. I was not surprised to see that once Sri Lanka lost their prized asset Murali, they seemed to struggle as they didn't have a 'turn to' bowler who will either give them wickets, or keep is tight in the middle order. Where will Sri Lanka be in 2 or 3 years time when Jayasuriya, Vaas and Muralitharan have all left the international game???
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Aside from maybe one or two comments on here and over the course of the series can i just congratulate the many SL fans who have seen fit to congratulate England on a one day series victory that has been hard fought and well contested. In no small part has the entertainment been down to a never say die attitude in the SL fielders - we know from Malinga's world cup that victory is never assured quite so easily......
This is refreshing to see, as all we had most of the summer was complaints about umpiring - mostly a hang over from the tests admitted, but the attitude of the SL team and their fans is a credit to cricket and most refreshing for fans. If there is a great amount of truth to Roshan's comments about internal politics then it is a sad day indeed - the success story of SL cricket is one that deserves to continue unabated and i believe they are only suffering a minor trough in form for some crucial players.
On the whole the series has been close, and 2 full strength sides (Eng with Tres and Fred, SL with Murali) would have struggled to come up with more intense cricket over the 4 games. Though maybe some more high scores? While Murali brings so much to the SL team and without having heard the allegedly shameful way in which the Eng commentators neglected to mention him, Fred offers as much by way of containment as Murali and i believe (if you check the stats on this) has had more ODI success in the subcontinent than Murali has had ODI success against Eng (though in tests this is totally untrue and SL are probably right not to risk Murali at the expense of the 2 upcoming series).
All in all Eng are improving and i believe even with Murali would have some out on top in 2 of the 3 games they have won, when run rates have not been an issue. It is a shame we won't know and does detract from this series win.
SL on the other hand need to go back to their 2002 trip to England when Murali was injured; then they turned in their best performances with him our of the team, only for England to win when he recovered.
And about the weather and conditions, England is now producing some of the most batsman friendly tracks in world cricket and come hot or cold any batsman of class can cash in unless the bowling is a bit special. In the subcontinent it is recognised by all sides (inc the mighty Oz!) that it takes time to adjust. Whether a side can acclimatise sufficiently to new conditions is often down to skill, hard work, a good coach and desire. SL have shown this and now Eng are too.
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Without the blips of the Twenty20 World Cup and 50over World Cup, three series wins against Australia, India and Sri Lanka is a refreshing change for the England ODI team, which for the past 5 years has been disappointing. Special congratualtions to bowling attack who effectively won the series for the england team, without many high scores from usually consistent batters Bell, Collingwood, Bopara, Pietersen/Cook (until 4th odi.) Wish management would be bolder and try Panesar/Swann bowling combination.
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thanks for constructive comments Hassan which world beating team do you support?! re Roshan Fernando & the weather I think you will find that English commentators do wax ad nauseaum about our lousy weather & how cold it is for overseas players used to warmer conditions etc etc, so an unfair criticism. Having been to Colombo myself in October the heat isn't the problem it is the humidity & the Sri Lankan bowlers seemed to find it difficult too. Have to admit Sri Lanka are my number 2 team to follow in the world so it will be good to see Murali again.
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It's good to see a series win, and the ODI team is finally looking encouraging, but I just have to contrast the Australian win over India to this one. Where England were piddling along keeping up with the run rate, (and always looking in control) Australia came out of the blocks flying, and absolutely destroyed the Indian team by 9 wickets and in half the necessary overs. So yes, England have a win, but to be anywhere near the Aussies they will have to dominate matches to the same extent. The final match of this series will be interesting, and it would be good to see a totally ruthless display from England, while the Sri Lankans will want to rescue some dignity and will fight back hard.
Yes, Sri Lanka were without Murali, but if there's one thing I can say as an England supporter (particularly relevant in the rugby untill recently), it's that you're stuck with the team you have on the day and there's no point questioning what may have been - injuries happen to all teams, get on with it.
I'm still not a fan of Cook, he has played a couple of good innings, but often gets out early on as well as scoring slowly - maybe he just needs time, but I don't think he's the right man for the job at the moment. My only other point is - why pick an all-rounder if you're barely going to bowl him? Lets either give Bopara more overs, pick an all-rounder who will bowl (eg Mascarenhas), or get a primary batsman into the team.
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You can argue that with the missing players on one side and the other the result is meaningless, but citing injuries is no excuse: you play the best XI that is available and if you are missing key players replacing them with adequate reserves is part and parcel of the game.
After the first game of the series most England fans feared another tame surrender. What has followed has been fascinating cricket of great intensity. Sri Lanka has not lost due to Muralitharan's injury (what will they do when he eventually retires???), it's been more down to the Sri Lankan top order failing to cope with the England bowling attack. Only in the first ODI has the top order fired and, when it did, Sri Lanka won by a huge margin. In the 2nd ODI Sri Lanka were 38-4 in the 15th over, in the 3rd 42-4 in the 15th, and in the 4th, 20-3 in the 11th over. It would not matter if Muralitharan had been playing, you can't give the opposition a start like that and expect to win.
In ODIs Sri Lanka are a great side. In their last 11 home series they have list 2 (3-2 to Australia and 2-1 to Pakistan). The bowling is adapted to the conditions and the batting has been an object lesson to other sides for years: this is the side that scored a world record 136-0 off the first 10 overs of a ODI against England less than 18 months ago!
The series has been fabulous to follow because the matches have ebbed and flowed and Sri Lanka have fought like tigers even when the match situation appeared desperate. It has been a wonderful advertisment for ODI cricket. England should feel proud of winning and Sri Lanka cannot feel ashamed because they have sold their defeats very dearly.
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WELL DONE ENGLAND!!! Finally were looking the part in limited overs cricket, long may it continue. After losing the first game england could so easily have crumbled in the second so it was great to see that never say die attitude that was englands trade mark a few years back. Peter Moores looks to be taking us in the right direction and working towards putting england back were we belong, fighting for honours in all formats. After a gastly winter, the world cup then the 20/20 im finally bein filled with optimism about englands chances from here on in. Bring on sri lanka in the tests. Pat on the back due for collongwood after a difficult start to his captaincy
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I hate to sound a discordant note and it's nice to win 1 dayers for a change but when the real deal starts again with the December Tests how well placed do we look. The real target has to be to win the Ashes back in 2009, forget the short form, who cares about that really.
Priorities:
1/ Freddy, give him a break, both from over work and death by media. Tests only, wrap him up otherwise. Frankly don't care if he gets drunk but when he does close ranks and tell the journos where they can go. Reinstate him as vice captain, either to Vaughan or Colly. He must be either Skipper or Vice in 2009 for us to win!
2/ Decide if Vaughan's body is going to make it to and through 2009. If not exit him soon and hand on to Colly/Flintoff.
3/ Just pick the best keeper for Tests. Save the batsman/goalies for the 1 day stuff.
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England is playing well at the moment. The team has a good share of all rounders. This English team has talent, hunger and determination. Winning a series against a Lankan side in Sri Lanka is a huge achievement. Congratulations. Let us wish spin legend Muralitharan a speedy recovery and a quick return to the bowling crease.
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In all the euphoria it is hard to remember we lost the toss and had to field in the roasting heat. Everyone said it was seriously hot out in the middle as well as humid. I thought England in the field showed true grit. Fielding never seems to get praised but it mattered like hell. Sri Lankan fielding was cracking too. It put enormous pressure on the batsmen in the first 20 difficult overs. Cook and Pietersen partnership takes the plaudits but the 50 partnership of Cook and Bell before the rain probably was the keynote. After the rain break the batsmen seemed more refreshed. Cook and Bell had to keep ahead of the rate because of D.L. and looked like ghosts under the lights, sweating profusely. Those 20 overs must have seemed like a long dark deep seam in a mine. The dot balls were not blocked by the way but mainly stopped by excellent SR fielding. It was attritional cricket. A different kind of great cricket than Aussie whacking away in India but still a platform to build on. I thought the team spirit on both sides was superb, they fought all the way. Congrats to both sides for thrilling games.
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Congratulations England team!..You guys did a great job!!..Although the SL team didn't win this series, they did a bang up job themselves..And despite the low scores, the games were still very exciting to follow..Best of luck to both teams for the final match !!..Get well soon Murali..and Sanath, please return to form, we miss the real you!!..GO Sri Lanka, you're still an awesome team!
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Congratulations England team!..You guys did a great job!!..Although the SL team didn't win this series, they did a bang up job themselves..And despite the low scores, the games were still very exciting to follow..Best of luck to both teams for the final match !!..Get well soon Murali..and Sanath, please return to form, we miss the real you!!..
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Congratulations England team!..Great job in SL..
The SL team did an awesome job despite losing the series..The low scoring matches were still exciting to follow..So, get back on your feet Sri Lanka and keep doing the best you can..We're behind you all the way!..Good luck to both teams!
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In responce to No. 13. I found your article very interesting, particularily insightful was the information given regarding the weather in Sri Lanka and surmising that it's probably more difficult for a touring Sri Lankan side to beat England rather than the other way round. Must say your arguement seems to hold water.
Also with reference to the missing 'M' factor, indeed any side in world cricket would miss such an outstandingly brilliant player. To say (as the commentators stated) that losing Murali is akin to losing Freddie, that this negates the loss to each team is maybe complimentary to Messr's Flintoff. However only fitness has prevented this player from fulfilling his vast potential (Maybe the only player a side would miss as greatly as Murali would have been Shane Warne).
As for English commentary, this has to be likened to the English media in general, sport and all. You'll find a degree of sensationalism & bias written and talked by self important people who think their opinion has any merit in the publics everyday life. It's fair to say that I find our press sometimes quite; other times very distasteful and as an ambassador to our country and to any other nationality reading/watching it, a complete embarrasment and not representative of me or I believe/hope my fellow coutrymen/women.
As for our 1 day side, I feel were progressing very nicely. We have promising young bowlers of which many can bat a bit. An improving batting line-up from 1 to 11, with a nice balance about the side. We're certainly not world beaters but as the 1 day table suggests we're heading in the right direction with a side that's getting harder to beat.
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Good going England. I hope this is not just a flash in the pan. we will have to wait for next one day series when England meets another leading team. Good luck
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or not... 88-9 oh dear
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It has been indeed a refreshing performance from the England one day squad. From being perennial under-achievers to winning three key series in 2007 is a remarkable thing in itself. They have now beaten Australia, India and Sri Lanka, all 3 quality one-day sides. The World Cup was a temporary blip on the radar of this young English side. What can one say about the meteoric rise of Ryan Sidebottom? From near disappearance into the county circuit to the pinnacles of bowling form for his country has been a great sight to watch. Who can forget the innumerable times he beat Sachin Tendulkar in the test matches? Add to this the phenomenal bowling form of Anderson and Stuart Broad, England can breathe easy that they need not worry about a team minus Flintoff, Harmison and Simon Jones. The batting has been circumspect notwithstanding an odd fifty here and there by the Cooks and Pietersens. But I feel that is also a case of form being temporary and class being permanent. Keep it up England. This surely must be your year. A second successive Rugby world cup will be the icing on the cake for English Sport.
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I can't help thinking that England missed an opportunity to test out Mascarenhas in the final ODI against Sri Lanka. His batting capability and accurate medium pace bowling alongside Collingwood, would have been a valuable added bonus.
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This is probably the biggest load of dribble I have heard in recent months. It's so typical of the English Press to live the current moment and because of the win in Sri Lanka the team is now and I quote 'Finally looks the Part'.
This team has serious issues and it's appalling record needs more than one series win against a second rate Sri Lanka side (with a new coach) to show me that its any good. With Freddie injured -KP and Collingwood aside the rest of the team would not make a World 11. The bowlers are custard chuckers at best and are not serioulsy rated outside of the UK and the batters are just not suited for this version of the game.
Its time the English Cricket Board stopped the imports into their County games and started to look at the dire state their cricket is in.
Sugar
Australian Cricket Fan
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Try to give more news on sports the news covered is not suficient
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